Act II
"Certain that Leithkorias’ champion had been slain, the orc leader forged deep into the Underworld. But his overconfidence would prove his undoing, for the champion yet lived, and was closing fast upon his trail."
Blackdelve Reach
You automatically speak to the gnome near the entrance. Apparently your new domain has their own problems: mammoth ants. They’re crawling all throughout the city. After the conversation, press on and reach the sea’s edge. Find the sign marked "Viggs Ship Shoppe" and speak with Bingham Viggs. He discusses a boat he’s been working on and he needs a hand. His apprentice Kol needs help fixing a broken pump. But to reach this apprentice you must solve the ant problem plaguing the town.
Quest: Kill Giant Ant Queen--Find entrance to giant ant caves, locate the ant queen, and destroy her.
Make your way past the ship shoppe and speak with Olak. He also discusses the ant problem and has his own theories regarding the problem’s cause. It’s the noise the lava riders are making; it has stirred up the ants and now they’re swarming all over town. He reiterates the town’s desire to finish off the ant queen.
Continue past Olak and find Stinmir near a small hut. This is the act’s shop. You’ll come here each time you use a gate scroll. Take the time to sell off any gathered loot and check his supplies for better weapons, armor, and magical items.
Move into the village area and battle the ants taking over the town. Work your way down several sets of stairs to the bottom area. Here you’ll find the entrance into the next area--deep into the ant colony.
Ant Hill
Battle your way through the ant colony. Watch for the burrows in the walls. Ants will enter through these holes. Each time you eliminate an ant another appears from the hole. You can stand in front of the hole and attack the ants as they enter. Poison and fire resistances will aid you throughout the colony; there are some ants that carry poison and fire ants that inflict fire damage. Move slowly so you don’t trigger too many ants at once.
Work your way around the colony and don’t forget to activate the portal as you near the entrance to the next level. Return to Stinmir as needed to upgrade your weapons and equipment and sell off the plentiful loot you may find in the colony.
Pave through the second level of the ant hill and find the ant queen making more ants in the back corner of the colony. Your first goal when facing the ant queen is to avoid moving too far to the left and right side of the chamber. There are additional ant foes lurking about and they will just make the battle more difficult. Remain close to the center if possible and battle only the ant queen.
Block the queen’s charge and stinger attack at her approach. When she moves off from the attack, counter with your ranged weapons and spells or chase her down and use your melee attacks. After you eliminate the queen, a passage opens at her start position. Before leaving, clear the chamber off any remaining ants. Exit through the passage and return to Blackdelve Reach.
Back to Blackdelve Reach
You automatically speak with Olak upon your arrive back into Blackdelve Reach. Receive your gold pieces reward. Return to the ship shoppe and speak with Brigham Viggs. He’s still complaining about the lava pump. He says his apprentice is in the Blackdelve Lava Field.
Quest: Help Kol--Find Kol in the Blackdelve Lava Fields and help him repair the lava pump.
Search the other side of Blackdelve, across from the ship shoppe, and find the home of Melman Froes. His daughter, Tenya, is missing. Apparently she’s through the lava field and into the Caverns of the Fallen.
Quest: Return Nobleman’s Daughter--Find Tenya and send her home to her father.
Move beyond the Froes’ residence and find the ladder descending into the lava fields.
Blackdelve Lava Fields
Fire resistance will definitely prove effective throughout the lava fields. Here you’ll face more potent fire beetles than you faced earlier in the game. Also, the lava golems hurl magma projectiles at you. These stone golems should be countered with ranged attacks while they stand in the hazardous lava. When they approach at close-range, retreat to use your ranged weaponry or spells again or block their attacks and counter with your own powerful melee weaponry.
A bit of exploration reveals that one of the field exits is blocked by one of the stone golems. Nothing you do will get you past this point so continue to explore elsewhere. Somewhere on this first lava field section you’ll find Kol. Speak with him to find out the status of the broken pump. Apparently the way to the pump is blocked and the only way to reach it is to use a lava runner to cross the hazardous lava. To fix the pump, you’ll have to find the exchanger.
Quest: Fix Pump--Get a lava runner, find the exchanger, and insert it into the lava pump.
Descend to the next level of the lava fields and battle through the firebeetles and stone golems to the far back corner of the level. Here you’ll find the exchanger resting on the ground. It’s very tough to see on the black ground so you may want to turn up your brightness. If you can’t find it, check your inventory to see if you happen to pick it up when you were grabbing some discarded loot.
With the exchanger in hand, return to the previous section of the lava fields and search the far upper corner to find a small station adjacent to the lava runner, a motorized vehicle that can traverse the dangerous lava heat. Speak with the gnome mechanic. He explains the use of the lava rider and allows you to take it out for a spin. Get into the lava rider. You can ram enemies while in the vehicle; ramming can kill your foes, though it does take quite awhile.
Use the lava runner to drive beyond Kol’s position across the lava to the back corner. Follow the bridge to the lava pump. Approach and fix the station. Return inside the lava runner and drive to Kol. Speak with him and he congratulations you and says you should let Master Viggs know the pump has been repaired.
Make your way back to the lava fields exit. On the way, near the blocked entrance, stone golems ambush you. But they’re called off by an unexpected ally. The way to the Caverns of the Fallen is opened.
